(StraightShooterNews.com) – Marking the second time the controversial method has been used in the United States, Alabama executed Alan Eugene Miller using nitrogen gas.
Miller was convicted of killing three coworkers in 1999 but maintained his innocence until his last breath.
The execution came after a botched attempt in 2022 when officials failed to establish an intravenous line for lethal injection.
This time, the state opted for nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing the inmate to breathe pure nitrogen instead of oxygen through a mask.
Although Alabama officials claimed that the execution went smoothly, eyewitness accounts painted a different picture.
Lauren Gill, who watched the execution, refuted the state’s version and noted that Miller was visibly struggling and gasping for air.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey defended the execution by describing it as a closed chapter for the victims’ families.
“Tonight, justice was finally served for these three victims through the execution method elected by the inmate,” Governor Ivey said in a statement.
“His acts were not that of insanity, but pure evil. Three families were forever changed by his heinous crimes, and I pray that they can find comfort all these years later,” she added.
Human rights groups and medical experts have criticized the use of nitrogen gas for executions by framing it as potentially inhumane.
Dr. Joel Zivot, who reviewed the autopsy of a previous nitrogen gas execution, stated that the method could cause a slow and painful death.
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm dismissed the concerns, stating that the two minutes Miller was seen shaking and the six minutes he was gulping breaths were “anticipated” reactions.
In the aftermath of the execution, some believe that while justice for the victims is important, the system must also ensure that the methods used do not sink to the level of the criminals it seeks to punish.
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